Meaningful Gestures
by CoffeeWench
Summary: Katara causes some severe damage. To be fair, she's a bit batty right now.


**Disclaimer:** _Avatar: the Last Airbender_ belongs to Nick, Konietzko, DiMartino, etc, etc.

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"Katara, _stop!_"

That was Aang. He was somewhere close behind her, and she didn't care, really. He sounded like he couldn't decide if he were angry or terrified. All Katara knew was that she was sending his pacifist sensibilities into turmoil. However, she couldn't spare any attention to reassure him.

She was too busy killing Prince Zuko.

"I can't believe you had the guts to show your face again," she informed him blandly, her hands working in a steady hand-over-hand clawing motion. In the same dead tone, she added, "But I'm _really_ glad you did."

Zuko was already on his knees before her, and his eyes were bugged in terror. Tendrils of sweat were floating away from the prince, as well as saliva and snot; to her amusement, Katara imagined that his terror might introduce some urine to the mix. It would be easier than bending the water out of his pores and eyes and mouth.

It hadn't been too hard to subdue the prince. For one, Katara's ability to hold a grudge was in good health. For another, to be fair, Zuko had approached them with a thought to truce and alliance. But Katara wasn't interested in _fair –_ she was interested in revenge. She smiled a smile that her rational side knew was scary, but she couldn't help herself at all.

"STOP IT, Katara!" The Avatar was directly behind her now. She knew he could make her stop, just as she knew that he was going to try to talk her out of it instead. "You're going to _kill_ him."

"That's the idea, Aang."

"You can't _do_ that!"

"And why shouldn't I? _He's_ the reason the world almost lost you, just when we can't afford it." She kept pulling. Zuko's clothing was drenched in sweat, and his lips were starting to crack. His eyes were visibly dry, and that rational part of Katara reflected that they must hurt, especially since he was too scared to blink.

Carefully, Aang answered, "No, Katara. _Azula_ is. Zuko didn't make any real difference in that fight." A little bit of warmth hovered by her shoulder; he was too scared to actually lay a hand on her yet. "You're mad at the wrong firebender."

"How can you say that?" she demanded, emotion finally touching her voice. "If it weren't for him, we both could have stopped her! You… you could've boxed her up with earth, and I could have drowned her. She didn't have reinforcements until after _he_ showed up! _How can you say that?_"

Sokka and Toph were behind her, too, somewhere, and her rational self wondered why they weren't interfering, too. Toph could easily toss Katara around, break her concentration, and knock her out.

"Look, I'm mad at him, too, but you can't kill him!" Aang pleaded.

"Why not? One more threat to your life – gone."

A frustrated groan escaped the Avatar, and she thought she heard him stomp a foot. Fine tremors rattled the ground beneath her… or was that the effort of dragging all the water out of Zuko's body? Could've been either. The Fire Prince was wavering, and his cracked lips were bleeding, and Katara's bending was pulling the blood away in delicate little arcs. It was rather pretty, and she took a moment to admire it.

"If you do, you're just like _them!_"

A pause. Katara's eyes went distant, so she didn't see Zuko slump forward in relief and hold himself up with his hands while his blood and tears and sweat dripped unhindered to the forest floor. Instead, she saw her mother fall to the bloodied snow; she saw a blinding flash of light and the crash of thunder just before Aang plunged toward the green crystal floor below Ba Sing Se. She felt her face go stony, and her hands resumed their pulling, drawing a hoarse scream from Zuko.

"I can live with that."

"You don't mean that!"

Another frightening smile split her face. "Sure I do. If it means he can't get his traitorous little claws on you again, then I'll become whatever kind of monster it takes to keep you safe."

Her brother's voice came from over her shoulder, "I won't let you."

A quiet, meaty _thud_ stopped whatever argument she might have had.

Zuko, wavering on all fours, managed to lift his head just enough to see Sokka catch Katara as she collapsed. The Water Tribe warrior set down the club he'd turned on his sister and lifted her onto his shoulder. He glared coolly down at the prince, and Zuko knew that Sokka could see the question in his gritty eyes.

_Why?_

Quietly, speaking to everyone, Sokka said, "Women of the Water Tribes really aren't supposed to know war – us men are supposed to keep them safe. Forget them being warriors. Katara never accepted it, and she became a great warrior anyway. But I'm not going to watch her become a murderer. Dad would never forgive me."

He turned and headed toward Appa. His voice floated back to the little crowd.

"I'd never forgive _myself_."


End file.
